The New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission has cleared the final legal hurdle to its imposition of Nissan’s NV200 as the city’s predominant yellow cab, ending a journey that began in 2011, when Nissan won the $1 billion contract to supply the vehicles.

A group of taxi owners had challenged the Commission’s authority to mandate the NV200 for use as a NYC taxi. Currently, 47 different models are approved for cab use, and with the demise of the Ford Crown Victoria, no single vehicle has emerged as a favorite.

There is an out, however, as some medallion owners will be able to choose from a list of hybrid models (Toyota Prius V and Highlander Hybrid, and Lexus RX450h), which seems like a particularly good idea for a city that gave birth to the term “gridlock.” The Nissan NV200 is not available as a hybrid, although Nissan offers an EV version in other markets.

With 13,587 medallions plying the city’s streets, New York’s taxis are the nation’s most visible. As such, the NV200’s takeover of the city’s taxi fleet has the potential to raise the van’s profile—or at least make it the modern-day Checker Marathon.